USS Ronald Reagan resumes flight operations following helicopter crash

19 October 2018

From Task Force 70 Public Affairs

A U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk crashed on the flight deck shortly after takeoff the morning of Oct. 19, and all injured personnel are in stable condition.

UPDATE (Oct. 19, 4:45 a.m. HST): USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) resumed flight operations after an MH-60R Sea Hawk assigned to the “Saberhawks” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 77 made an emergency landing and crashed on the ship’s flight deck shortly after takeoff at approximately 9 a.m. local time where operating in the Philippine Sea, Oct. 19.

Service members injured in the crash are in stable condition for non-life threatening injuries that ranged from minor abrasions and lacerations to fractures. The most seriously injured were medically evacuated off the ship to a hospital in the Philippines, while remaining injured are under evaluation by Ronald Reagan medical staff.

Families of the injured were notified in accordance with Navy policy.

PHILIPPINE SEA - A U.S. Navy MH-60 Sea Hawk assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5 crashed on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) shortly after takeoff at approximately 9 a.m., Oct. 19.

The cause of the mishap is under investigation.

All injured personnel are in stable condition under evaluation by Ronald Reagan medical staff. While some personnel will be medically evacuated ashore, none of the injuries are life-threatening.

At the time of the mishap, the Ronald Reagan Strike Group was conducting routine operations in the Philippine Sea. Ronald Reagan remains fully mission capable and has resumed flight operations.

The Ronald Reagan Strike Group is forward-deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.